All about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals by Everything Dinosaur team members.
15 10, 2015

Dinosaurs at St Paul’s Primary School

By |2023-04-07T11:59:25+01:00October 15th, 2015|Educational Activities, Main Page, Teaching|0 Comments

Year 1 Study Dinosaurs

Today, one of Everything Dinosaur’s fossil experts visited St Paul’s R.C. Primary school to help Year 1 with their term topic which is all about fossils and dinosaurs.  Under the expert tutelage of the class teacher (Miss Holdsworth) and with the support of the enthusiastic teaching assistant Mrs Sharpling, the children have been busy learning about prehistoric animals and famous people from history such as Mary Anning.

Prehistoric Animal Themed Scenes

Outside the classroom, the Year 1 children had helped create a very colourful dinosaur inspired wall display.  Our dinosaur expert certainly felt at home when he saw the wonderful artwork.

Prehistoric Animal Themed Scenes Outside the Year 1 Classroom

Dinosaur workshop.

A wonderful dinosaur wall display. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex (meat-eaters), feature on the wall display, along with a flying reptile and two dinosaurs that ate plants (Brachiosaurus and Stegosaurus).  During the morning, we explored dinosaurs that ate meat and learnt about some plant-eating dinosaurs as well.  The fierce monster bursting out of the wall in the picture above is most impressive.  A fantastic red tongue can be seen in the photograph and our dinosaur expert explained to the children just how long the tongues of some dinosaurs could be.

Visiting a Year 1 Classroom – Learning About Dinosaurs

In the Year 1 classroom, the children had a role play area in which to store their dinosaurs.  The role play table was just at the right height for the children, thanks to the excellent woodworking skills of Miss Holdsworth.  If Everything Dinosaur ever need some scaffolding put up around one of our mounted dinosaur skeletons, we now know who to call. Our congratulations to Miss Holdworth.  The table was ideal for creative, imaginative play.

A Role Play Area – Great for Creative, Imaginative Play

Dinosaur workshops

A role play table for Year 1. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: St Paul’s Primary/Everything Dinosaur

Learning About Dinosaurs

 The walls of the well organised classroom were covered in examples of the children’s work.  A space had been set aside on one of the walls for some dinosaur bone art that had been planned for later on in the term topic.  Another wall displayed the results of a writing exercise in which the Year 1 children had written about what they would do if they were a dinosaur.  When working with Lower Key Stage 1 children in the autumn term the focus is on getting the children to feel more confident with their writing.

The exercise helped the children with the spacing of words and the use of grammar such as the full stop and comma.  The “pinkie palaeontologist challenge” we set the class which involved composing a short story about a Triceratops coming to lunch at the school should also assist the budding young scribes.

Examples of Individual Work Posted on the Classroom Wall

Learning about dinosaurs.

Work to “bee” proud of. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: St Paul’s Primary/Everything Dinosaur

The picture above show a dinosaur themed writing display which the children can certainly be proud of.  It is a very colourful and attractive display.  We congratulate the children and their teachers.

After the morning dinosaur themed workshop had been concluded, Mrs Sharpling led the class in a singing of “Yellow Bird”, this was very appropriate as during the teaching session our dinosaur expert had informed the children that many dinosaurs might have been covered in feathers, even bright yellow ones.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: The Everything Dinosaur Website.

14 10, 2015

Black Friday – How to Beat the Blues

By |2023-04-07T11:51:31+01:00October 14th, 2015|Everything Dinosaur News and Updates, Everything Dinosaur Products, Main Page, Press Releases|0 Comments

Retail Madness – Black Friday 27th November 2015

Christmas orders at Everything Dinosaur are ticking along nicely.  To be honest (and our customers know how honest we are), we have been receiving orders for Christmas gifts since the end of August, this is slightly later than the trend we saw in 2014.  However, the media is beginning to carry stories about the approach of “Black Friday”, a day when record retail sales are being predicted.  The phenomenon of Black Friday comes from the United States.

Everything Dinosaur

Traditionally, the day after the Bank Holiday of Thanksgiving in America is the day that retailers have enticed shoppers to spend with one-day sales.  These have been aimed at kick-starting the Christmas shopping rush.

The Approach of Black Friday – Everything Dinosaur Will Be Ready

Everything Dinosaur will be ready.

Everything Dinosaur will be ready.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Black Friday

2014 saw this Black Friday concept have a significant impact on UK retail for the first time.  This year, even more Black Friday sales are predicted with something like a £1 billion of retail business being done in the day.

At Everything Dinosaur, we tend to be a bit cynical when it comes to such things.  In this country, sales normally start after Christmas, now the retail landscape is changing and much of what would have been offered post Christmas is going to be on sale at the end of November.  Sales and retail promotions are all very well, but our philosophy remains as simple and straight forward as ever.  At Everything Dinosaur we don’t really do sales, we just offer really competitive prices for dinosaur toys and games all the year round.

Fantastic Customer Service

We are not very good at promoting ourselves, we are too busy responding to enquiries, supporting schools, fossil collecting and of course, packing orders.  We don’t buy in Facebook Likes or Twitter Followers, we have never purchased or procured false testimonies, it is not our way of doing things.  We just work hard and try the best that we can and our thousands of customers and loyal fans seem to like what we are doing.

Dinosaur Figures and Models

Take for example, one of the latest on line reviews posted up by one of our customers (based in Thailand), here’s what she had to say after purchasing a now retired Carnegie Collection Diplodocus dinosaur model from us:

“Beautiful majestic figure which goes well with the Papo Brachiosaurus. Thank God that Everything Dinosaur wrapped it securely with bubble wrap and sent it in a thick padded envelop, as the idiotic local delivery person stuffed it into the mail box instead of delivering to my office!  Luckily, it’s safe and well.”

We can’t comment on the shortcomings of the local postal service, however, the comment that was posted up on our website is typical of the ones we receive, it is the support we provide for our customers, doing things right, that has led to Everything Dinosaur growing into a significant global retailer of dinosaur toys, models and games.

The Carnegie Diplodocus Model – Safely Arrived Thanks to Everything Dinosaur

An impressive model for an impressive dinosaur.

A carefully packed and despatched dinosaur model from Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Preparations for Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Let’s just summarise the support Everything Dinosaur has in place as the Christmas period starts to get busy.

  • We have informed our IT contractors about implications for Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November 27th and 30th respectively) in terms of server demands etc.
  • Face to face meetings with suppliers, contractors and support teams will once again be suspended from November 1st onwards.  This enables us to dedicate more time to supporting our customers over the Christmas period.
  • Packing of parcels to become full-time, seven days a week once more to cover the run up to Christmas.  The time available for managing emails, dealing with enquiries and so forth has also been increased.
  • Saturday collections plan to be implemented, making parcel despatch even quicker than usual (our record time from receipt of order to out of the door on a collection is around thirty-five minutes).
  • We have been in contact with our mail service companies (Royal Mail, couriers), to ensure that they were aware of our needs in plenty of time and that we have enough materials available such as mail bags, labels, postage sacks and such like to cope with the likely higher volumes.
  • More dedicated office time to help handle the increased number of phone calls that occur, after all, not everybody likes shopping on line and we do appreciate sometimes it’s nice to talk to a person.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s Award-winning Website

To visit Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Models, Toys and Games.

 A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday for that matter will be business as usual for Everything Dinosaur.  We always put in plenty of resources to support customers and the Christmas run up is no different.  There will be no gimmicks or cynical marketing ploys from us, just honest people working hard to provide excellent value and terrific customer service.”

Everything Dinosaur has built up a very loyal customer base, we are happy to help out where we can, every day is “Black Friday” as far as Everything Dinosaur’s customers are concerned.

As other on line retailers prepare for Black Friday, Everything Dinosaur’s customers can be assured that this UK dinosaur company maximises value and customer service every day.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s information about postage and shipping: Everything Dinosaur Shipping and Postage.

14 10, 2015

Dinosaur Eggshells May Hold Key to Warm-blooded Debate

By |2023-04-07T11:46:27+01:00October 14th, 2015|General Teaching, Key Stage 3/4|Comments Off on Dinosaur Eggshells May Hold Key to Warm-blooded Debate

Eggshell Study suggests Dinosaurs Not Warm-blooded

Research published in the journal “Nature Communications” may have helped settle a 150-year-old debate amongst palaeontologists.  Analysis of the behaviour of two isotopes found in calcium carbonate, the main ingredient in eggshell suggests that dinosaurs were not warm-blooded (endotherms), neither were they cold-blooded (ectotherms) but they were somewhere in between.   The scientists conclude that dinosaurs were probably mesothermic, able to raise their internal body temperature above that of their immediate surroundings, but not all dinosaurs were able to maintain a body temperature at the level of today’s birds and mammals.

Dinosaur Eggshell Study

A dinosaur egg fossil.

A dinosaur egg (believed to be from a theropod dinosaur).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A total of nineteen eggs from two different types of dinosaur were studied.  Eggshells from Argentina representing a Late Cretaceous, herbivorous titanosaur along with fossilised eggs from a theropod dinosaur (oviraptorid) from Mongolia were included in this ground-breaking research.  If scientists can determine the body temperature of extinct animals this will help them calculate metabolic rates and provide valuable data on how active these animals were.

Cold-blooded reptiles (ectotherms), like crocodiles are only capable of bursts of activity and rely on external sources of heat (the sun) to help them maintain a constant body temperature.  More active animals, (endotherms) like mammals and birds can generate internal heat and are generally a lot more active than their reptile counterparts.

An Example of a Typical Titanosaur

Daxiatitan model by CollectA.

Perhaps up to 30 metres in length?

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows a sauropod model in the CollectA Age of Dinosaurs model range.

To view this range: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures.

Dinosaur Eggshells

Commenting on the significance of this pioneering research, study co-author Aradhna Tripati (Assistant Professor of the University of California, Los Angeles) stated:

“This technique tells you about the internal body temperature of the female dinosaur when she was ovulating.  This presents the first direct measurements of dinosaur body temperatures.”

The research team conclude that clumping studies of two rare isotopes found in the eggshells show that oviraptorids (closely related to birds), were able to raise their body temperatures above that of their environment but not as high as warm-blooded animals (endotherms).  The much larger titanosaur had a body temperature slightly higher than our own.

This suggests that variable thermoregulation likely existed in the non-avian dinosaurs but not all dinosaurs had the body temperatures typical of modern birds and mammals which generally tend to be very active.

To read further articles on the dinosaur warm-blooded versus cold-blooded debate:

Clumped isotope analysis could determine endothermy: Isotope Analysis Could Help Shed Light on the Metabolism of the Dinosauria.

Warm-blooded or cold-blooded dinosaurs: Evidence to Support the warm-blooded or cold-blooded Debate in the Dinosauria.

Dinosaurs were endothermic: Endothermic Dinosaurs? The Debate Hots Up.

13 10, 2015

Eggshells Tell Scientists About Dinosaur Body Temperatures

By |2023-04-07T11:12:18+01:00October 13th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Endotherms or Ectotherms the Debate Gets “Egg-citing”

The debate as to whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded (endothermic) like mammals and birds or cold-blooded (ectotherms) like crocodiles and lizards, has taken a further twist with the publication of a study published in the journal “Nature Communications”.

Chemically Analysing Eggshells To Calculate Dinosaur Body Temperatures

Scientists have used a new method to chemically analyse dinosaur eggshells which has helped them gauge the long extinct animal’s body temperature.  Armed with this data and an estimate of the temperature of the surrounding environment, the researchers can postulate about whether dinosaurs had high metabolic rates and active life-styles or whether like alligators and lizards they tended to be only capable of short bursts of activity.

The team’s findings suggest that dinosaurs were neither true endotherms or completely ectothermic, but somewhere in between – mesotherms.  In addition, as two different types of dinosaur produced different results, this new study indicates that body temperature differed between dinosaur genera.

Research Suggests that Oviraptorid Dinosaurs were Mesothermic

"Conch Thief" feeding by the lake shore.

Not warm-blooded or cold-blooded but somewhere in between.

Dinosaurs Probably Mesotherms

The conclusions drawn by the scientists are similar to those made by a team of American researchers who reported in 2014.  Following an extensive analysis of the histology and ontogeny of fossilised bones (analysis of bone cells and growth) these scientists concluded that dinosaurs were probably mesotherms.

To read more about the 2014 research: Goldilocks and Dinosaurs the warm-blooded/cold-blooded Debate.

Why all the Fuss?

The argument as to whether the Dinosauria were endothermic or ectothermic has raged for over 150 years.  It was once thought that dinosaurs were slow-moving, sluggish, very lizard-like creatures.  They had to bask in the sun or rely on other external sources of heat to help warm their bodies before they could become active.   This meant that they were probably not very active at night, it also suggested that they had similar life-styles to extant reptiles such as crocodiles, snakes and lizards.  These creatures can be very mobile, but only for short periods and they soon become tired.

Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), was one of the first scientists to challenge this view.  He argued that birds and dinosaurs were closely related.  In the 1960s there was a revolution in thinking with regards to dinosaurs.  John Ostrom’s work on the theropod dinosaur Deinonychus led to dinosaurs being depicted as much more agile, fast-moving animals.  Ostrom produced carefully argued and extremely detailed studies on dinosaur biology and anatomy and he depicted them as much more bird-like creatures capable of complex behaviour – more reminiscent of today’s mammals than like today’s reptiles.

Dynamic Dinosaurs – Active and Agile Animals

Robert Bakker (student of John Ostrom) championed the agile, active dinosaur theory.

Robert Bakker (student of John Ostrom) championed the agile, active dinosaur theory.

Robert Bakker, a student under the tutelage of Ostrom developed these ideas further and portrayed dinosaurs as warm-blooded creatures, it was Bakker who produced the famous illustration of Deinonychus shown above and it was Bakker who influenced a lot of thinking regarding the Dinosauria with his ground-breaking book “The Dinosaur Heresies”, which was published in 1986.

A Study of Rare Isotopes

The research team utilised a pioneering procedure which allows the internal temperature of female dinosaurs to be plotted by analysing the behaviour of two rare isotopes found in calcium carbonate, a key ingredient in eggshells.  A total of nineteen dinosaur eggs were included in the study, they represent two very different types of dinosaur.  Eggshells from Argentina came from a large titanosaur (Sauropoda), the eggshells collected in the Gobi desert, Mongolia, represent fossils from a small theropod dinosaur, an oviraptorid.

The isotopes oxygen-18 and carbon-13 tend to cluster together at colder temperatures.  The amount of clumping enabled the scientists to calculate the body temperature of the mother.  Chemical analysis of the surrounding rock matrix permitted the researchers to estimate the temperature of the palaeoenvironment at around the time the eggs were laid.

Dinosaur Body Temperatures

The analysis of these eggshells, all of which were collected from Upper Cretaceous strata, suggest that the titanosaur’s body temperature had been around 38 degrees Celsius at the time of laying.  This is a little higher than our own internal body temperature (37 degrees Celsius).  The implication is that the Titanosaur had an internal body temperature similar to that of a endotherm, although it has to be considered that the huge gut of this giant herbivore, essentially an enormous, heat-producing digestive vat would probably have influenced the internal temperature.

The sheer size of the animal, volume compared to surface area, would have probably helped it to maintain a relatively constant body temperature.  Thermo-regulation for such large animals is not so much as trying to keep warm, heat loss from a large body is much less severe than with a small animal, for example.  In the case of the titanosaurs, once they warmed up they probably stayed warm for a very long time, keeping cool could have been more of a problem (that’s why African elephants have big ears).

For dinosaur models and prehistoric animal figures: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

Typical Titanosaur Eggs

An example of Titanosaur fossil eggs.

An example of titanosaur fossil eggs (Hypselosaurus).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Studying Oviraptorids

The results from the much smaller oviraptorid paint a different picture.  These dinosaurs were very closely related to birds, but the body temperature plotted is much lower than an endotherm.  The scientists calculated that the theropod had an internal temperature of around 32 degrees Celsius, but this was at least six degrees warmer than the environment.  This suggests that oviraptorids, dinosaurs that were closely related to birds were able to raise their body temperatures above that of their surroundings.

Commenting on these results, lead author Robert Eagle (University of California Los Angeles) stated:

“The temperatures we measured suggest that at least some dinosaurs were not fully endotherms [warm-blooded] like modern birds.  They may have been intermediate, somewhere between modern alligators and crocodiles and modern birds”.

This study supports the idea that dinosaurs could produce heat internally and raise their body temperature higher than their surrounding environment, but they were unable to maintain this temperature at a consistent level like a mammal or a bird (endotherms).  The scientists conclude that if the dinosaurs were mesothermic, they were probably more active than alligators but not as active as birds or mammals.

No Strong Evidence for Either Ectothermy or Endothermy

The international research team state that they could not observe any strong evidence either for ectothermy or endothermy in the species examined.  The body temperatures calculated for the titanosaur and the oviraptorid indicate that variable thermoregulation likely existed among non-avian dinosaurs and that not all dinosaurs had body temperatures in the range of that seen in extant birds.

Link to an article published in June 2015, that postulates that the Dinosauria were endothermic: Dinosaurs were Warm-blooded Debate Hots Up.

12 10, 2015

Remarkable Ancient Horse Foal and Mare Fossils

By |2023-04-07T10:39:18+01:00October 12th, 2015|General Teaching, Key Stage 3/4|Comments Off on Remarkable Ancient Horse Foal and Mare Fossils

Ancient Horse Foetus Identified from Fossil Remains

Scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute (Frankfurt, southern Germany), working in conjunction with colleagues from the University of Veterinary Medicine (Vienna, Austria) have identified the fossilised remains of a prehistoric horse foetus.  The 48-million-year-old fossil was excavated from the famous oil shales of Messel (near Frankfurt).

Fossil Discovery

The fossil was discovered fifteen years ago and set in resin to preserve it.  Using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and high powered X-rays, the scientists were able to identify the remains of an unborn foal within the adult animal.

The Fossil of the Ancient Horse (White Ellipse Marks the Site of the Foetus Fossil)

Eurohippus Feotus

Scale bar 10 cm (A and B).  A line drawing and photograph of the Eurohippus foetus.

Picture credit: Senckenberg Research Institute

Eurohippus Foetus

This is the oldest equine foetus known.  The academic paper detailing this research has just been published in the scientific journal PLOS One.  It is widely believed that horses evolved from small, five-toed forest animals such as Propalaeotherium, fossils of which have been found in the Messel shales.  It seems that these ancient early horses thrived in the tropical forests of Europe that covered much of the Northern Hemisphere during the Eocene Epoch.

In this instance, the horse has been identified as an example of a genus called Eurohippus (Eurohippus. messelensis).  This is a remarkable fossil discovery.  An ancient mare preserved with her unborn foal.

For models and replicas of prehistoric animals including ancient horses: Wild Safari Prehistoric World Models.

12 10, 2015

Fossil Claw Hints at Minnesota’s Cretaceous Past

By |2023-04-07T09:34:08+01:00October 12th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Dinosaur Fans, Main Page|0 Comments

Meat-Eating Dinosaurs Once Roamed Minnesota

The American State of Minnesota might border North and South Dakota but despite the treasure trove of dinosaur fossils from the Peace Garden State (North Dakota) and the Mount Rushmore State (South Dakota), the Land of a Thousand Lakes (Minnesota) has yielded only a couple of dinosaur fossil finds to date.

Theropod Dinosaur Claw Bone

However, that may be about to change as researchers from the Science Museum of Minnesota, based in Saint Paul, have announced the discovery of a theropod dinosaur’s claw bone.  This is only the third documented dinosaur fossil discovery from Minnesota.

Minnesota Dinosaur Claw

Cretaceous Theropod Claw from Minnesota.

Cretaceous theropod Claw from Minnesota.

Picture credit: Mark Ryan, Science Museum of Minnesota

Fossil Claw

The lack of dinosaur fossils, or indeed Mesozoic fossils in general can be explained by the fact that the rocks that may have held such fossils have been eroded away.  Extensive glaciation in the north, central parts of the United States removed much of this material and indeed it is the action of glaciers that led to the unique geology and landscape of much of this part of America.  In addition, for much of the Mesozoic, this part of America was underwater.

The fossil claw that measures approximately four and half centimetres in length when measured with the curvature of the claw taken into account, was found at the Hill Annex Mine, part of the extensive iron ore rich Mesabi Iron Range in north-eastern Minnesota.

Minnesota’s Cretaceous Past

Although it is difficult to assign a dinosaur family to this fossil, palaeontologists from the Science Museum of Minnesota have suggested that it is the claw from a theropod dinosaur and that it dates from the Late Cretaceous, around 90 million years ago (Cenomanian/Turonian faunal stages).  Informed sources have stated that this is only the third documented dinosaur fossil found from this State.  Although many famous dinosaurs are known from the United States, the fossils of these long, extinct creatures are not spread uniformly across America.  In fact, more than a dozen States in the Union have no record of dinosaur fossils whatsoever.

With the discovery of a partial femur (thigh bone) from a theropod dinosaur last year, Washington State become the 37th U. S. State to have fossils of the Dinosauria recorded within its boundaries.  This prompted Everything Dinosaur team members to produce a map identifying which States in America had dinosaur fossils and which did not.

To read more about which States have dinosaurs: Washington State the 37th U.S. State with a Dinosaur.

Unable to Identify the Genus

Researcher at the Science Museum of Minnesota, John Westgaard explained that it was not possible to identify a dinosaur genus, but when questioned further he suggested that the fossil claw could have belonged to a Velociraptor-like dinosaur.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated that it was not possible to be more specific about the fossil specimen but as the claw has been dated to around 90 million years ago, this was a significant discovery as little is known about the fauna of North America from this part of the Cretaceous.

To read about the discovery of the dinosaur thigh bone from Washington State: Washington State’s First Dinosaur.

Highlighting Minnesota’s Cretaceous Past

The other Minnesota dinosaur fossil finds are equally fragmentary and also date from the Late Cretaceous.  An unknown genus of duck-billed dinosaur is known from a few bones and teeth.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of replica dinosaur claws and dinosaur teeth: Dinosaur Claws and Dinosaur Teeth.

11 10, 2015

Dinosaurs Inspire Handwriting

By |2023-04-07T09:29:47+01:00October 11th, 2015|General Teaching, Key Stage 1/2|Comments Off on Dinosaurs Inspire Handwriting

Dinosaurs Inspire Handwriting

Following a dinosaur workshop with Lower Key Stage 1 children at a Nottinghamshire school, Everything Dinosaur’s fossil expert was asked to provide some extension ideas to help the teaching team keep the children motivated when it came to their writing.  Our expert suggested a number of activities and once back in the office, further supplementary resources and other support materials were emailed over to assist the teachers and the teaching assistants with their dinosaur themed term topic.

Dinosaurs Inspire Handwriting

Dinosaurs Inspire Handwriting

Dinosaur workshop thank you letter.

Dinosaur workshop thank you letter. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Thank You Letters

One of our suggested extension activities was to challenge the children to write us a thank you letter.  Could they include a statement in their letter telling us about their favourite part of the dinosaur workshop?  Could they use capitals and punctuation?  We received some really well crafted and well written thank you letters, a most impressive effort.  Well done to all.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur enjoyed reading all the thank you letters.  It was a case of dinosaurs inspire handwriting as a result of the dinosaur themed workshop at the school.

For further information about Everything Dinosaur’s work in schools: Email Everything Dinosaur.

To read testimonials from teachers, teaching assistants and members of the senior leadership team who have had visits from Everything Dinosaur to conduct fossil and dinosaur workshops or purchased items from Everything Dinosaur: Everything Dinosaur Testimonials.

All the Children in the Class Took Part in the Letter Writing Extension Activity

A set of thank you letters from a class.

Pupils sent in thank you letters to Everything Dinosaur. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that team members liked to provide additional support to teachers and teaching assistants by proposing lots of extension activities after a dinosaur workshop.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a huge range of prehistoric animal and dinosaur themed toys and games. To visit Everything Dinosaur’s user-friendly and award-winning website: Visit Everything Dinosaur.

11 10, 2015

Celebrating Earth Science Week Top 100 Geology Locations

By |2023-04-07T09:20:24+01:00October 11th, 2015|Geology, Main Page|0 Comments

Top One Hundred Sites Related to Geology UK and Ireland

In celebration of Earth Science week, an annual commemoration of the contribution to geology made by the British Isles (UK and Ireland), the London-based British Geological Society have published the results of a survey to find the most popular geology related sites from the United Kingdom and Ireland.  The wide ranging and eclectic list demonstrates the incredible variety of the geology of these islands, which are regarded as the birthplace of the science of geology.  After all, the Geological Society, which was founded in 1807, is the oldest geological society in the world.

British Geology

The chart-topping locations were compiled from over four hundred public nominations, divided into ten categories which include landscape, historical and scientific importance, human habitation, industrial and economic importance, educational, coastal, folding and faulting, outcrops, adventurous and fire and ice.

Voted Number One in the Poll

Voted number one in the British Geological Society Survey.

Voted number one in the British Geological Society Survey.

Picture credit: British Geological Survey

The picture above shows the bizarre and spectacular rocky mountains, sculpted by deep time and ravages of the Ice Ages.  These are the Foreland Mountains of Assynt.

Sites from Across the British Isles

Around thirty of the top one hundred (including four in the top ten) come from Scotland.  Wales contributes ten, a surprise given the beauty of Wales form the rugged peaks of Snowdonia, the amazing coastline and the rich diversity of fossils found in the country.  Northern Ireland has five and like Wales, it has none in the top ten as voted for by members of the public.  Ireland fares slightly better with a total of nine.  The rest of the locations can be found in England (the other six in the top ten are to be found in England).

The range includes The Channel Tunnel (24), the building home to the Natural History Museum (39), the Geevor Tin Mine in Cornwall (23).  Also included are a number of locations that team members at Everything Dinosaur are very fond of, these locations have been the destination of choice for geology field trips for generations, places such as Wrens Nest (42), the Laxford Brae road section in northern Scotland (38) and South Stack Formation on the island of Anglesey (85).

Wrens Nest Features in the Top One Hundred

Amazing geological feature.

Amazing geological feature.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture above shows the fantastic ripple beds preserved in the limestone of the Wrens Nest nature reserve (Dudley, West Midlands).

Favourite British Geology

The Top Ten Locations – “The People’s Favourites”

  1. The Foreland Mountains Assynt (Sutherland, Scotland) with its breath-taking isolated mountains (see picture in this article).
  2. Ironbridge Gorge (Shropshire) regarded as the birth place of the industrial revolution.
  3. Siccar Point (Scotland) the site of a world famous unconformity where the junction between the older, tilted layers of greyish sandstone and the younger Old Red Sandstone can be clearly made out.
  4. The Rotunda Museum (North Yorkshire) built to a design suggested by William Smith regarded by many as the “father of geology”.
  5. Staffa – the basaltic columns to be found on this island that forms part of the Inner Hebrides.
  6. Stonehenge, located in Wiltshire.
  7. Hunstanton Cliffs – highly fossiliferous cliffs on the Norfolk coast where the red limestone contrasts sharply with the overlying chalk.
  8. The Craster Coastline, with its unusual geology and notable outcrops.
  9. Millook Haven which runs from North Cornwall into Devon showing spectacular folds of inter-bedded sandstones and shales.
  10. Glencoe (Scotland), the remnants of a long extinct super volcano.

From a fossil collecting and fossil observation perspective, a number of other sites are also included notably the beaches of Lyme Regis (44), Kimmeridge Bay (20) and the dinosaur footprints preserved in the Bendrick rocks (south Wales – number 45).

Lyme Regis (Number Forty-Five)

Good idea to go fossil collecting on a falling tide and to keep away from the steep cliffs.

The beaches at Lyme Regis such as Monmouth Beach make the list.  Lyme Regis made it into the list of favourite British geology.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide range of models of iconic animals known from the British fossil record including many dinosaurs: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

10 10, 2015

Top Rocks – Best Locations UK and Ireland (Geology)

By |2023-04-07T09:16:52+01:00October 10th, 2015|General Teaching|Comments Off on Top Rocks – Best Locations UK and Ireland (Geology)

Top One Hundred Geology Sites (UK and Ireland) – In Praise of British Geology

In celebration of Earth Science week which officially starts today (10th to 17th October 2016), the British Geological Society has published a survey showing the top one hundred locations in terms of their geological significance in the UK and Ireland.   The list was compiled from photographs sent in by members of the public and then they was a popular vote to decide the “people’s choice” in terms of favourite geology sites.  Sites from all over the British Isles and Ireland were selected, four of the top ten sites listed come from Scotland, the other six can be found in England.

In Praise of British Geology

The Foreland Mountains of Sutherland (Scotland)

In Praise of British Geology

Voted number one in the British Geological Society Survey.

Picture credit: The British Geological Society

Different Categories Listed

In order to help with the many hundreds of entries, the survey was divided into ten broad categories which included “fire and ice”, “human habitation” and sites which are “historically and scientifically important”.  The famous beaches at Lyme Regis, part of the amazing “Jurassic Coast” featured, in the top fifty.

Fossils at Lyme Regis

In Praise of British Geology - Lyme Regis

Stonebarrow and Golden Cap can be seen in the background. In praise of British Geology.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Top Ten Locations

The top ten geology locations as voted by members of the public (over 1,200 people took part) are:

  1. The Foreland Mountains Assynt (Sutherland, Scotland) with its rugged, isolated mountains (see picture at the top of this article).
  2. Ironbridge Gorge (Shropshire).
  3. Siccar Point (Scotland) the site of a world famous unconformity where the junction between the older, tilted layers of greyish sandstone and the younger Old Red Sandstone is seen.
  4. The Rotunda Museum (North Yorkshire) a building design suggested by the famous geologist William Smith (built 1829).
  5. Staffa – the basaltic columns on the island (Inner Hebrides).
  6. Stonehenge, a World Heritage site in Wiltshire.
  7. Hunstanton Cliffs – a wonderful coastal location where the red limestone is capped by white chalk.
  8. The Craster Coastline, with its unusual geology and many notable outcrops.
  9. Millook Haven – North Cornwall into Devon showing wonderful geological formations including folds of inter-bedded sandstones.
  10. Glencoe (Scotland), the remnants of a long extinct super volcano that existed back in the Palaeozoic Eon.

Everything Dinosaur – In Praise of British Geology

A spokesperson from the Cheshire based dinosaur company, Everything Dinosaur stated:

The British Isles [the United Kingdom and Ireland] have some wonderful and simply amazing geological features.  We urge members of the public to learn more about these fascinating locations and to get out and about and explore them.”

The British Geological Society (based London), may be the oldest geology society in the world, (founded in 1807), but the UK and Ireland has still got a huge array of amazing places to discover and explore that are not that well known to members of the public.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

10 10, 2015

Unborn Foal Identified from Ancient Horse Fossil

By |2023-04-07T09:13:27+01:00October 10th, 2015|Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Eurohippus messelensis – Fossil Reveals Ancient Foetus

The fossilised remains of an ancient, prehistoric horse that once roamed southern Germany has revealed the presence of an unborn foal.  Scanning electron microscopy of the beautifully preserved fossil has revealed the bones of a foetus, this is the oldest fossilised equine foetus discovered to date and reveals that the horse reproductive system was already highly developed by the early Middle Eocene.

Ancient Horse – Eurohippus messelensis

Ancient Horse Fossil Reveals Unborn Foal

Eurohippus foetus fossil from the Messel Shale.

Eurohippus foetus fossil from the Messel Shale.

Picture credit: Senckenberg Research Institute

The position of the foetus in the mare is marked by the white ellipse in the picture above.  Scale bar equals 10 centimetres.  The fossil has been set in resin, this is a standard procedure to help preserve the fossils from the Messel oil shales.

An Ancient Horse

Details of the research, conducted by scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute (Frankfurt) and the University of Veterinary Medicine (Vienna), have been published in the academic journal PloS One.  The fossil, an early horse called Eurohippus messelensis, was excavated from the Messel Shales near Darmstadt (Germany) in 2000 but it was only after recent high resolution micro-X-ray studies in combination with the scanning electron microscopy that the 12.5 centimetre long foetus was found.

Most of the skeleton is intact (post cranial material) and elements of the placenta can be determined.  Based on a comparison with modern horses, the position of the foetus, which was near full term at the time of death, is almost identical to that seen in today’s mares which are at roughly the same stage of pregnancy.

Death of the Mare

The death of the potential mother-to-be and the unborn foal are not related to any potential complications that arose during parturition.  It seems that this little, ancestral horse that was just thirty centimetres high at the shoulder, ended up in a large, deep lake and was quickly buried in the oxygen depleted sediments at the bottom.  These sediments eventually became the oil shales which make this part of southern Germany so famous.

A Line Drawing of the Exposed Side of the Foetus

Scale bar 10 cm (A and B)

Scale bar 10 cm (A and B)

Picture credit: Senckenberg Research Institute, Jörg Habersetzer; line drawing (b) by  Jens Lorenz Franzen.

The picture above (a) shows the foetus position in relation to the bones of the adult and maps out the position of the placenta (line drawing b).

How did the Ancient Horse Die?

The oil shales of Messel contain a huge amount of fossils, both aquatic and terrestrial species, but how did this rich fossil assemblage come about?  This part of Germany was located ten degrees further south during the early Middle Eocene than it is today.  It is believed to have been a very geologically active area and infrequent releases of large concentrations of poisonous gases from the deep lakes in the area could have devastated the local ecosystem.

Deadly releases of carbon dioxide mixed with hydrogen sulphide would have quickly suffocated animals in the water and once these gases had reached land they would quickly overcome any animal in close proximity to the shore.  Corpses would have been washed into the lake by rains and eventually they would have drifted down to the bottom, where the lack of oxygen and bacteria would have facilitated their excellent preservation.  This theory also accounts for the number of bird and bat fossils found in these oil shale deposits.

Any animal flying over the lake and encountering the gas cloud would be affected and fall into the water.  Bat fossils are amongst the most numerous of all the terrestrial vertebrate fossils found at the Messel quarry site.

Such a scenario was depicted in the “Walking with Beasts” episode “New Dawn” made by the BBC.

Eurohippus (E. messelensis) is one of a number of early ungulates known from the Messel shales of Germany.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a range of prehistoric mammal models and replicas: Models of Prehistoric Mammals.

Go to Top